Sars-CoV-2 Cases Reported on International Arriving and Domestic Flights

United States, January 2020–December 2021

Bibliographic Data

ID11022520
AuthorsLeigh Ellyn Preston (0000-0003-0521-4844, Leigh Ellyn Preston, Araceli Rey, Simone Dumas, Andrea Rodriguez, Alida Gertz, Kristin C. Delea, Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, Deborah L. Christensen, Clive Brown, and Tai-Ho Chen are with the CDC COVID-19 Ports of Entry Team, Atlanta, GA.), Araceli Rey (Leigh Ellyn Preston, Araceli Rey, Simone Dumas, Andrea Rodriguez, Alida Gertz, Kristin C. Delea, Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, Deborah L. Christensen, Clive Brown, and Tai-Ho Chen are with the CDC COVID-19 Ports of Entry Team, Atlanta, GA.), Simone Dumas (Leigh Ellyn Preston, Araceli Rey, Simone Dumas, Andrea Rodriguez, Alida Gertz, Kristin C. Delea, Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, Deborah L. Christensen, Clive Brown, and Tai-Ho Chen are with the CDC COVID-19 Ports of Entry Team, Atlanta, GA.), Andrea Rodríguez (0000-0003-2208-2994, Leigh Ellyn Preston, Araceli Rey, Simone Dumas, Andrea Rodriguez, Alida Gertz, Kristin C. Delea, Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, Deborah L. Christensen, Clive Brown, and Tai-Ho Chen are with the CDC COVID-19 Ports of Entry Team, Atlanta, GA.), Alida M Gertz (0000-0001-8025-3793, Leigh Ellyn Preston, Araceli Rey, Simone Dumas, Andrea Rodriguez, Alida Gertz, Kristin C. Delea, Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, Deborah L. Christensen, Clive Brown, and Tai-Ho Chen are with the CDC COVID-19 Ports of Entry Team, Atlanta, GA.), Kristin C Delea (Leigh Ellyn Preston, Araceli Rey, Simone Dumas, Andrea Rodriguez, Alida Gertz, Kristin C. Delea, Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, Deborah L. Christensen, Clive Brown, and Tai-Ho Chen are with the CDC COVID-19 Ports of Entry Team, Atlanta, GA.), Kristin Delea (Orano (United States)), Francisco Alvarado-Ramy (Leigh Ellyn Preston, Araceli Rey, Simone Dumas, Andrea Rodriguez, Alida Gertz, Kristin C. Delea, Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, Deborah L. Christensen, Clive Brown, and Tai-Ho Chen are with the CDC COVID-19 Ports of Entry Team, Atlanta, GA.), Francisco Alvarado‐Ramy (0000-0001-6308-9653, Orano (United States)), Deborah L Christensen (Leigh Ellyn Preston, Araceli Rey, Simone Dumas, Andrea Rodriguez, Alida Gertz, Kristin C. Delea, Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, Deborah L. Christensen, Clive Brown, and Tai-Ho Chen are with the CDC COVID-19 Ports of Entry Team, Atlanta, GA.), Deborah Christensen (Orano (United States)), Clive Brown (0000-0002-8858-4578, Leigh Ellyn Preston, Araceli Rey, Simone Dumas, Andrea Rodriguez, Alida Gertz, Kristin C. Delea, Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, Deborah L. Christensen, Clive Brown, and Tai-Ho Chen are with the CDC COVID-19 Ports of Entry Team, Atlanta, GA.), Tai-Ho Chen (0000-0002-3608-5494, Leigh Ellyn Preston, Araceli Rey, Simone Dumas, Andrea Rodriguez, Alida Gertz, Kristin C. Delea, Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, Deborah L. Christensen, Clive Brown, and Tai-Ho Chen are with the CDC COVID-19 Ports of Entry Team, Atlanta, GA.)
Year2023
Volume113
Issue8
Pages904-908
Publication date2023-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2023.307325
PMID37319391
OpenAlexW4380870743
LanguageEN
References cited5

Objectives. To describe trends in the number of air travelers categorized as infectious with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; the virus that causes COVID-19) in the context of total US COVID-19 vaccinations administered, and overall case counts of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States. Methods. We searched the Quarantine Activity Reporting System (QARS) database for travelers with inbound international or domestic air travel, a positive SARS-CoV-2 lab result, and a surveillance categorization of SARS-CoV-2 infection reported during January 2020 to December 2021. Travelers were categorized as infectious during travel if they had arrival dates from 2 days before to 10 days after symptom onset or a positive viral test. Results. We identified 80 715 persons meeting our inclusion criteria; 67 445 persons (83.6%) had at least 1 symptom reported. Of 67 445 symptomatic passengers, 43 884 (65.1%) reported an initial symptom onset date after their flight arrival date. The number of infectious travelers mirrored the overall number of US SARS-CoV-2 cases. Conclusions. Most travelers in the study were asymptomatic during travel, and therefore unknowingly traveled while infectious. During periods of high community transmission, it is important for travelers to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations and consider wearing a high-quality mask to decrease the risk of transmission. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(8):904–908. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307325 )

Asymptomatic · Context (archaeology) · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Environmental health · Geography · Infectious disease (medical specialty) · Pandemic · Public health · Quarantine · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) · Transmission (telecommunications) · Vaccination · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts · Demography · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Travel-related health issues · Virology · Pediatrics

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